Training
As our former trainees testify, the Population Research Center is one of the foremost places in the nation to learn how to conduct research in population studies at the highest level. Our training program benefits from and feeds into the PRC’s innovative and highly productive research program in four primary research areas: Family Demography and Human Development; Education, Work, and Institutions; Population Health and Well-Being; and Reproductive, Maternal, and Infant Health. Through a combination of rigorous coursework and collaboration on groundbreaking research projects, our training program aims to produce the next generation of leading population scientists in the United States and around the world.
Who can participate?
Although this page focuses on our graduate training program, training is available at the undergraduate and postdoctoral levels as well.
Since the PRC is not a degree-granting unit, students seeking a graduate degree with a specialization in population studies must apply through an academic department at The University of Texas at Austin. The Department of Sociology at UT is the most common academic department of our graduate students and offers specializations in demography, health, family, education, religion, and other areas of central interest to population-related researchers. Graduate students from the Departments of Human Development and Family Sciences, Economics, Educational Psychology, and Psychology, as well as the LBJ School of Public Affairs and Steve Hicks School of Social Work are also graduate student trainees in the PRC.
What do trainees do?
In addition to taking required coursework, trainees actively participate on research projects led by PRC faculty. In fact, research collaboration with PRC faculty (and with other graduate student trainees) is the core training activity. Moreover, attending the PRC’s Friday Seminar Series is also a central part of being a PRC trainee. The Friday Seminar Series exposes trainees to some of the best population researchers in the country on a weekly basis and is a key tool by which our trainees become top flight population scientists. You can find more information here.
New in 2023, the PRC is proud to announce the Stackable Certificate in Sociology: Demography in service to PhD-seeking students enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin. In order to recieve the certificate, you must meet the following requirements:
- Friday Seminar Participation: Trainees in the first three years of graduate school, must attend at least 50% of the Friday Seminar presentations.
- Demography Conference Attendance: PRC trainees must attend at least one demography conference during their time in the program. Examples of conferences are PAA, SDA, ASA, or TEXPOP.
- Required Courses: To build a strong foundation in demography, trainees must enroll in the following courses:
- SOC 389K - Training Seminar in Demography (Usually fall of the 2nd year)
- SOC 389K - General Approaches to the Study of Population (Usually spring of the 2nd year)
- SOC 391L - Basic Demographic Methods and Materials (Usually fall of the 3rd year)
How do I get involved?
- Apply to become a PRC Trainee. Those enrolled in a graduate program at The University of Texas may apply to become a PRC Trainee in their first year or later. Once accepted as a PRC trainee, graduate students gain access to computing resources and become eligible to apply for fellowships through the PRC. You can apply here.
- Contact faculty. One of the biggest strengths of our training program is that it provides opportunities for trainees to get involved in research projects. Ask your faculty advisor or other PRC faculty scholars doing research that interests you if there are opportunities to become more involved.
Is funding available?
Graduate student trainees are supported through Teaching Assistant, Research Assistant, and Fellowship positions.
Where are former trainees now?
The PRC has an excellent record of placing our former trainees in top academic positions. Recent PRC graduate students are now faculty members at Princeton University, University of California-Davis, University of Colorado-Boulder, University of Alabama-Birmingham, University of Kansas, Penn State University, Florida State University, Duke University, Ohio State University, and Michigan State University. In addition, many of our recent graduates currently hold prestigious postdoctoral fellowships, such as from NICHD or the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, at the University of Michigan, Harvard University, Duke University, Columbia University, and more.
